Yellow-legged gull
| Yellow-legged Gull | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | L. michahellis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Larus michahellis | |
The Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) is a large gull.
The taxonomy of the Herring Gull/Lesser Black-backed Gull complex is very complicated. This group has a ring distribution around the northern hemisphere. Differences between adjacent forms in this ring are fairly small, but by the time the circuit is completed, the end members, Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull, are clearly different species. However, different authorities recognise up to eight species in this complex.
It is has now generally accepted that the Yellow-legged Gull is a full species, but until recently there was much disagreement. For example, the BOU in Great Britain placed Yellow-legged Gull as a subspecies of the Herring Gull, while British Birds magazine split Yellow-legged Gull from Herring Gull but included Caspian Gull in the former. However, recent DNA research has shown that Caspian Gull is basal to the complex, and cannot be in the same grouping as the other form.
There are two subspecies: michahellis (named for the German zoologist Karl Michahelles), which breeds in the Mediterranean, and atlantis, on the Atlantic islands.
Yellow-legged Gull is similar to Herring Gull but has yellow legs. Western adults have a grey back, slightly darker than Herring Gull. They are much whiter-headed in autumn, and have more extensively black wing tips. They have a red spot on the bill like Herring Gull.
These are omnivores like most Larus gulls, and they will scavenge on rubbish tips and elsewhere, as well as seeking suitable small prey in fields or on the coast, or robbing plovers or lapwings of their catches.
Eggs, usually three, are laid on the ground or cliff ledges in colonies, and are defended vigorously by this large gull. The call is a loud laugh.